Check-controlled apparatus.



W. F. ABLETT.

CHECK CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 16,1910.

Patented Nov. 15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

awuemtoz wi lmwaao W. P; ABLETT. OHBOK'OONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 awuawto'c abhor/news WILLIAM F. ABLETT, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CHECK-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

Original application filed April 14, 1910, Serial No. 555. 3%. Divided and this application Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

filed June 15, 1910.

Serial No. 566,961.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that l, l/VILLIAM F. ABLnrr, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Controlled Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a check controlled apparatus and is more especially designed for use in connection with machines adapted for vending and dispensing small packages and papers, or any other analogous uses, it being noted that the present applica tion is a division of my co-pending application upon vending machines, Serial No. 555,3 i, filed April 14, 1910.

ly invention aims to provide a machine of the above type wherein a simple and in expensive mechanism is employed for releasing the arti le delivering elements, the present mechanism being positive in its ac tion, durable, easy to manipulate and highl eflicient for the purposes for which it is employed.

To properly illustrate the complete opera tion of the present device I have here shown the same in connection with my vent 11g machine illustrated in the claim in the above noted application. In said vending machine I provide a suitable casing with compartments in which are arranged the a to be vended, the articles being positioned whereby they will feed by gravity to such a point that the mechanism contained witl the casing will eject the same. The mecl nism employed for this purpose is controlled through the ntedium of a coin or chew: trolled mechanism, forming the su ec matter of this application, whereby it will be impossible to manually actuate the mechanism unless the coin is deposited in th ma chine.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in the matter to be hereinafter specifically described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings: igure 1 is a front elevation of the vending ma hine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal se io-nal view taken through one of the article comles . i8 can be easily placed partinents thereof. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken through one of the coin compartments thereof. Fi 4 is horizontal sectional view of the mac ine taken on the line 03-90 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine, and ig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view of a portion of the machine.

To put my invention into practice, l here show a suitable casing comprising bottom plate 1, a rear wall 2, side walls 3, a c wall a, and a hinged lid or cover 5, th lid or cover being hinged to the upp r edge of the rear wall 2, as at The ca 'ng can be made of wood or any suitrble material.

The front wall is provide with two vertical openings 7 and the in a l bordering upon the inner edges of l d c s is cut away to form a seat 8 for tr nsverse plates 9, preferably made of celluloid or vitreous material.

Secured to tie inner side of tie front wall 4 by screws 10 or other faste ling means is a metallic rectangular frame 11 provided with two vertical and rectaneular shells 12 formcompartments 13 for t articles adapted to be vended by the mac Th shells 12 are formed integral u "e frame 11 to C) wall aline with the openings '1 (if e, the material surround f: i. being cut away, as at 15, to

ance for the transparent plat through themedinni of s contents of the cont served and the fore being fina tents. The, coinpa ,us kinds of pac as the mechanisms 11 the comparti only necess The shell 12 has the lower end thereof provided with side enlz these enlarge nts are pr video; with longitudinal con nting' grooves 1? for a crosshead 18, "ll 1 i i mt 19 is of the shell and proeby the cross-head in the groove 17 and vided with a slot 20, w

suitable connections made therewith, as will 1 13 and the trays 49 whereby the compartpresently appear.

The side wall 3 has the inner sides thereof provided with a longitudinal integral barrel 21 for a plunger 22 extending through the front wall 4 and said barrel, said plunger having the rear end thereof offset and bifurcated, as at 23, while the forward end thereof is provided with a button or push-knob 24.

Mounted upon the base plate 1 at the rear end of the shell 12 is a post 25 and pivotally mounted upon the upper end of said post by a pin 26 is an angle lever 27 having the ends thereof slotted, as at 28 and 29. Pivotally connected to the lever 27 through the medium of a pin 30 extending through the slot 19 is the off-set bifurcated end 23 of the plunger 22. Pivotally connected to the lever 27 through the medium of a pin 31 extending through the slot 28 are the rearwardly projecting lugs 32 of the cross-head 18. Pivotally connected to the lever 27 adjacent to the slot 28 is a rod 33 adapted to slide through a bearing 34 provided therefor upon the base plate 1. The free end of the rod 33 is adapted to engage the end 35 of an arm 36 pivoted upon the upper end of the post 37 carried by the base plate 1. The opposite end of the arm 36 is connected by a retractile spring 37 to the rear wall 2, and this end of the rod is adapted to engage the beveled and toothed end of an arm 38 fulcrumedupon the outer end of a bracket 39 carried by the side wall 3. The rear end of the arm 38 is provided with a beveled surface 41, while the forward end thereof is provided with a depending tooth 42 adapted to engage a lug 43 carried by the lever 27.

- Pivotally connected to the forward end of the arm 38 is a vertical rod 44 having the upper-end thereof pivotally connected,"as at 45, to the rear end of a coin arm 46, said arm being fulcrumed, as at 47, upon a bearing 48 carried by the rearside of the shell 12. The forward end of the arm 46 extends into the upper open end of a coin tray 49 suitably secured, as at 50, to the side wall 3. The forward end of the arm 46 is enlarged, as at 51, and extends beneath the lower end of an inclined coin chute 52 carried by the inner side of the front wall 4, the coin chute communicating with a vertical slot 53 provided therefor in the wall 4.

The lever 27 adjacent to the slot 28 thereof is connected by a retractile spring 54 to a lug 55, carried by the inner side of the rear wall 2. The lower end of the compartment 13 is adapted to communicate with a horizontal slot 56 provided therefor in the front wall 4, whereby the contents of the compartment 13 can be discharged.

By opening the lid or cover 5 of the casing easy access is had to the compartments ments 13 can be filled with articles or packages, the articles or packages being placed one upon the other, as best shown in Fig. 6, and the coins can be easily removed from the trays 49.

Assuming that the compartments 13 have been filled and the machine is in condition for use, the manner of obtaining an article from either of the compartments 13 is as follows :When a coin is deposited in the slot 53 and passes through the chute 52, the weight of the coin tilts the coin arm 46 allowing the coin to drop into the tray 49. The tilting coin arm will raise the forward end of the arm 38 and move the tooth 42 out of engagement with the lug 43 of the lever 27, thus allowing the plunger 22 to be pushed inwardly until the button or knob 24 engages the front wall 4'of the casing. An inward movement of the plunger 22 shifts the cross-head 18 forwardly within the compartment 13, thus forcing one of the articles or packages into the slot 56, the end of the article or package protruding sufficiently, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings to allow the article or package to be gripped and withdrawn from the slot.

WVhen the cross-head 18 is moved forwardly the rod 33 slides in the bearing 34 and releases the arm 36, and through the medium of the retractile spring 37 the end of the arm engages the beveled surface 41 of the arm 38 and restores said arm to its normal position, with the coin arm 46 in a horizontal position ready to be again actuated by a coin deposited in the machine.

When the plunger 22 is released the retractile spring 54 restores the lever 27 to its normal position and the rod 33 holds the arm 36, but the plunger cannot be pushed inwardly since the lug 43 bears against the tooth 42.

It is thought; that the operation and utility of the check controlled apparatus is apparent from the foregoing, and while in the drawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements thereof can be varied or changed, as to the size, shape, and manner of assemblage without departing from the scope of invention.

What I claim is A device of the class described comprising a casing having a coin opening in one side wall thereof, an inclined coin chute positioned in alinement with said opening, an arm pivoted within said casing and having an enlarged end normally positioned adjacent the lower open end of said chute, a connecting rod pivoted to the opposite end of said arm and said rod having a bifurcated lower end, a rocker arm pivoted to said casing adjacent the bottomthereof and having an engaging tooth at its front end and an inclined under surface at its rear end, said engaging tooth adapted to lock an article dispensing member and to automatically release the same upon the insertion of a coin Within said chute,n pivoted arm lever adapted to be acted upon at one end by the article dispensing member and its other end adapted for engagement with said inclined surface for re-locking said tooth with the dis- 10 pensing member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. ABLETT.

WVitnesses KARL H. BUTLER, ANDoR A. HARSANYI. 

